Purchasing a car from a private seller. Nightmare.

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Just follow through with Bob and see what he does for you. From original post, the guy is no stranger to fixing old cars. He has a shop with lifts. I seriously doubt that car passed through his hands without somebody checking it out and deciding NOT to fix it. BUT, it does look really nice, so might have just got a quick runthrough and missed it. Now that he got called out on it he may even go beyond what is required to protect his reputation. Just like I said on the title - go through the process and see what happens. Stay on it if anything goes awry, but don't sweat it till there is actually a problem.
 
Pics of the upper control arm might not be a great repair, but does it look that much different than the factory? Welded in wrong place, you might loose adjustment. Wasn't that one of the REAL reasons for using the Moog offset bushings for adjustability (sagging frame frails)? Something no else no one has mentioned is that I've heard the pivot tube for the lower control arm break loose. Wouldn't this cause a similar condition? Just something else to think about. Also, Lots of bad info regarding Illinois SOS. If you goto SOS don't tell them the guy you bought it from isn't the name on the title. Illinois DOES NOT like jumping title, even among family members. Might just go to currency exchange, they never seem to ask questions as long as the title is signed. Two names on the title better have two signatures no matter if your're going to SOS or currency exchange. Nobody's signature is on file that I know of.
 
The trouble with title jumping is exactly why it's mostly illegal.........the signature MIGHT NOT be the owner!!!!! (Forgery). Plus if you buy a car third party and one of the state's involved requires notary (I think Montana, EG) then you go to your DMV and find out you have to try and connect with the real owner.......who might have moved, be dead, or not really wanting to release the car!!!
 
Update: went to DMV, no problem at all. I also heard back from Bob. He did contact his mechanic nearby who he has sent business to for 15 years and called in a favor. He is arranging to pick up the car later this week, make the repair and deliver it. Bob committed to seeing this through until it's resolved and provided the mechanics number to me. I'm feeling a lot more positive about this whole thing now and optimistic!
 
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SIX225 said:
Pics of the upper control arm might not be a great repair, but does it look that much different than the factory? Welded in wrong place, you might loose adjustment. Wasn't that one of the REAL reasons for using the Moog offset bushings for adjustability (sagging frame frails)? Something no else no one has mentioned is that I've heard the pivot tube for the lower control arm break loose. Wouldn't this cause a similar condition? Just something else to think about. Also, Lots of bad info regarding Illinois SOS. If you goto SOS don't tell them the guy you bought it from isn't the name on the title. Illinois DOES NOT like jumping title, even among family members. Might just go to currency exchange, they never seem to ask questions as long as the title is signed. Two names on the title better have two signatures no matter if your're going to SOS or currency exchange. Nobody's signature is on file that I know of.
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Yes,

I’m not 100% positive the upper mount is pulled out. Mechanics nowadays have very little experience with cars of this age. And even more so in the rust belt where cars of this age have disappeared from the roads for decades.

Could be lower control arm to Kmember hole.
 
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I think you are fine. If this guy has been redoing old cars for a while he probably knows a few good old school mechanics... guys that wont overthink or halfass the fix.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Lots of things are legal. The right attorney can work wonders.
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RustyRatRod said:
We all know what "as is" means. We have a dealer here in town everybody knows is crooked, yet he's lost two pretty big cases recently. I think the OP should at least sit down for a free consultation with an attorney. I'm certainly not going to discourage him from doing that, because I am not smart enough to know all the legal loopholes from another state and I doubt anyone else here is either. Cases are often not always as slam dunk as it may seem.
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You're special. I got four 'dislikes' when I suggested this.
 
Be happy you didn't end up with this interior.....

s-l1600.jpg


s-l1600.jpg
 
SGBARRACUDA said:
The OP is lucky that IL allows third party sales. You will no get away with that at Fl. DMV. I would never buy a car without an open tittle. That part is totally on the buyer.
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Really? I've bought a bunch of cars, trucks and boats with a third party title. Never had a problem. People at the tag office never ask for a bill of sale or anything. The last one was a South Carolina title. Only thing they wanted was a vin verifIcation. LEO friend stopped by and filled it out. Silly since the dash was out of the car and I could have hauled that down there but I didn't mention that. Lol
 
Hoofer said:
Update: went to DMV, no problem at all. I also heard back from Bob. He did contact his mechanic nearby who he has sent business to for 15 years and called in a favor. He is arranging to pick up the car later this week, make the repair and deliver it. Bob committed to seeing this through until it's resolved and provided the mechanics number to me. I'm feeling a lot more positive about this whole thing now and optimistic!
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Good to hear!
 
Illinois title skipping is illegal
But since he never put his name on it you can title it. As long as the name on title and the seller signature match your ok to title it. Sounds like he was flipping the car and may have not known about the frame rail.Used cars are always sold as is. Good luck on getting a refund, but you never know....
 
moparmandan said:
Really? I've bought a bunch of cars, trucks and boats with a third party title. Never had a problem. People at the tag office never ask for a bill of sale or anything. The last one was a South Carolina title. Only thing they wanted was a vin verifIcation. LEO friend stopped by and filled it out. Silly since the dash was out of the car and I could have hauled that down there but I didn't mention that. Lol
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Well consider yourself lucky. I went thru hell with a Ga. tittle third party. Also the 68 Barracuda in my avatar took 5 trips to DMV, over nighting paper to Texas and back. Oh did I mention it was a third party tittle? Bought it from a estate sale the owner had died. You say what you want, I will not even look at a car without an open tittle.
 
It really doesn’t matter anymore since he had no issue at the DMV.

Time to move on and focus on helping to get the necessary repairs done to make the car right.
 
moparmat2000 said:
Poop brown + creme yellow = gaaaaay !!!

Thats like some wierd chick combination or something i would expect to see on a new beetle convertible. Why do people do **** like this ? Unless because it gives the rest of us an opportunity to laugh at it or want to un **** it.
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Or perhaps just because they have different tastes than you do...and being their car, can do what they choose.

Or is it too much to ask for people to live their lives the way they see fit without judgement?

Sorry, I thought this was America where each of us is born with an inalienable right to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.
 
This is a 50+ year old car. The OP lives in the middle of the snow belt. Cars rust there.

I've sold cars to people, given clear descriptions about defects and sometimes STILL get callbacks. One idiot would only text me, not call, about any little thing he found....on a 1978 Trail Duster I sold for $2500. This was a a truck that he liked so much, he bragged about how it was the BEST one he had seen for sale and was amazed that I wanted to sell it. He called one day:
"The heater don't work man...you ripped me off!!!"
He drove over with it and I showed him how to work the STOCK controls.
"Oh...Okay."
No apology, no thank you either.
He texted, bitching about the "exposed wires".
The Problem? A 4 pin trailer wire plug that did not have a cover for 3 of the pins.
I had to block his number. I have never done that before but this idiot was like trying to talk sense to a Liberal....He did not possess the intellect to understand common sense.
 
72bluNblu said:
Having the title in the name of a person other than the seller is not the same as having the title. If Bob represented himself as the owner of the car when he sold it, he committed fraud.
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If Bob has a bill of sale with the previous owner he is the owner. No fraud intended.
Cars are always sold before the title is revised with the State.
 
Ddaddy said:
Or perhaps just because they have different tastes than you do...and being their car, can do what they choose.

Or is it too much to ask for people to live their lives the way they see fit without judgement?

Sorry, I thought this was America where each of us is born with an inalienable right to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.
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Looks like you answered your own questions!
 
Car looks really nice and all indications are that the seller is being decent so far.
I would get antique car insurance with an agreed upon value immediately for it.

Oh and it has AC!
 
If it ends up costing you a few bucks to get this car fixed right, just remember you bought it like it was and it will be better after it is fixed. So anything Bob does for you now will only be increasing the value of the car.

Looks like a Nice car

enjoy it.
 
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